Vakitso
by Isfelvic
Summary: Surviving seems to be what Defiance does best. It's what Amanda has done with Kenya, survive. What Stahma has done best with her family, but with most Castithans there's always a deeper story. With Votans it seems far deeper than just survival. But Stahma Tarr is not a normal Castithan and her family is more than just a Votan household and she wants more than just surviving.
1. Chapter 1

**This idea has been floating in my head. I don't own Defiance but I do own my OCs.**

**Enjoy**!

* * *

The last thing Tommy expected while on a scavenge of a nearby arkfall…was the blast that sent him flying and the loud ringing that seemed to rattle around inside his head. Somehow, for whatever reason, he found that he thought if he just blinked _harder_…the ringing would stop.

The time his eyes stayed closed must have been longer than he thought because the next time he opened his eyes someone was standing over him.

The voice sounded muddled under the ringing, almost like he was under water, he squinted as the figure stooped down to crouch beside him. It was a kid…a boy…a Castithan. The boy spoke again and Tommy fought to try and understand him.

"…you…doing…can't…hear…what…" the words came and went. He caught one and then the rest seemed to drown his ears in water again before he caught another. He shook his head, trying to get out that he couldn't understand.

The boy must have gotten the idea because he stood up and waved somewhere out of Tommy's line of sight.

He blinked again, and again it must've lasted longer than he thought, because the boy was gone and a dark figure much taller than him stood in his place. Next thing he's aware of is hands grabbing at his jacket and hauling him up. The figure is hooded and doesn't seem to have patience for this.

Tommy glances back at the fire taking over the alien vessel. "I didn't…my job…" he mumbled before the ringing in his head finally became to much and he blacked out.

* * *

The next time he opens his eyes the ringing is gone and he's staring up at the trees and sky. He can feel a stick and some rocks in his back and he notices needles from the trees under his fingers. He wonders if maybe he was dreaming.

"You're awake."

Tommy jumps at the voice, shooting up and going for his waistband.

"We took your gun. Sorry."

He stares at the boy. He is definitely a Castithan…but somehow he doesn't seem pale enough or have the right eye color. His hair is platinum blonde and his eyes are a mix of the usual pale pink color of Casti eyes and a blue color. He holds a beaten up teddy bear to his side with one hand and the other is tucked into the pocket of a dark jacket he wears over a dark shirt with plain black pants and old sneakers. He had to be at least fourteen…maybe younger, which made the fact that he was holding a stuffed animal a bit funny.

"Who are you?" Tommy asks carefully. If his job has taught him anything, it's asking the right questions first, instead of the other ones that are burning to be spoken in the back of his mind.

The boy shrugs. "Adam Starsen, you can call be Starsen or Adam I guess." He takes a hand out of his jacket and points across his body. "That is Teddy. He helped get you here." Tommy turned to see the man that pulled him along. Only when the man turned…it wasn't a man…it was a cyborg…or was it a robot or an android. Tommy had no idea but the guy was clearly not of human or alien kind let alone organic.

The droid had round eyes that appeared like goggle lenses, they were a deep green at the moment, no mouth, wore a pullover sweater that was dark gray and khaki cargo pants with beaten old combat boots. His head was shaped like a man's with a strong jaw and slightly large chin. The top of his head was bald with no shine like Tommy would expect of something like this.

Droids hadn't been explored by humans all that well before the aliens came, and ones like this were a long shot for North America yet, at least that's what Tommy read in history books.

"Teddy…?"

"Yes?" The voice was grainy and somewhat irritated.

"Unusual name for…whatever you are."

Teddy almost seemed to glare at him. "I am a caretaker for…Starsen." He turned to the boy. "Are we taking him back to his people?"

David nodded. "We have to, they'll be missing him."

Tommy looked between them. "The ark…what happened to it? Why'd it explode like that?"

"It crashed." Teddy stated, still clearly irritated.

"I meant," Tommy glared back at the caretaker. "Was it scavenged before I got there?"

"Yes." Starsen answered for the droid. "We got most of what was worthwhile. You can have some for where you live if you want. That _is_ why you were so close isn't it?"

Tommy nods. "I was doing it cause the others were to busy." He explains. "Where are we?"

"Near your town…or city." Starsen pulls his bear closer. "We can take you back now."

"I'd appreciate it."

Teddy grunted as he turned away from them.

* * *

Starsen appeared to be much kinder than his caretaker, and very smart. Tommy eyed him carefully as they walked, Defiance was within view now. The boy's head came just under Tommy's own chin and Teddy's chest.

The caretaker had pulled his hood back up and ducked his head, walking carefully behind his ward.

"You'll like it here, for the most part," Tommy mumbled the last part as he remembered Datak Tarr and his goons. "We've got a great mayor and Lawkeeper."

Starsen hummed. "That's nice. I'm not sure we could stay though."

"Why not? You've gotta be tired of the woods and Bad Lands." He himself had been walking with a limp and he could hardly stand it. They couldn't enjoy the wild as a place to live.

The boy gave Tommy an appeasing smile, one Tommy swore he'd seen before. "Teddy says it's better for me to stay out of the way."

"Why?"

"Dangerous." He heard the grunt behind them.

"How come?" Tommy glanced back. Again it seemed like he was being glared at by the round eyes. Maybe it was the way the lights in the sockets dimmed.

"You ask to many questions." Teddy hushed.

"My job."

"Lovely." He could detect the sarcasm in the grainy voice. "But we're not answering anything more just yet."

Starsen chuckled, shaking his head. Tommy wondered how he could deal with someone that seemed to pessimistic. They stepped into the town and received a few odd stares. The strangers ignored them. The deputy stopped outside of a building. "I'll introduce you to the mayor, you'd meet her one way or the other anyhow."

"Why?" Teddy questioned, head still dipped low.

Tommy smirked. "Now who's asking to many questions?"

"I asked one." Teddy argued softly. The man ignored him and lead the way into the building.

* * *

Nolan eyed Datak's wife, Stahma, with a sudden realization. Datak had the appearance of the power in the couple but it suddenly struck him that he had let her slip under his radar and he understood that was exactly what she wanted.

"I've had my eye on the wrong snake." He spoke up. She turned piercing pink eyes on him. "You're the dangerous one."

He noted her lips curve up just the slightest. "You're sweet." She breathed. He'd stroked her ego. Nolan saw the pride in her eyes as she turned her gaze back to him before they slid to a spot just behind him. He turned to see his deputy limping up the stairs.

"The hell happened to you?"

"Long story." Tommy sighed. "But I did get some help." He handed Nolan a bag and then nodded over his shoulder.

"Who are these two?"

Tommy motioned to them as they stepped onto the landing. "Adam Starsen and…" he shrugged. "Teddy."

Nolan let an eyebrow arch. "Teddy what?"

"Just Teddy." The hooded man answered.

The Lawkeeper grunted softly, eyeing the man, he noted the strange voice and the way he kept his hands in his pockets and his head down. This 'Teddy' had something to hide and that made his stomach clench with worry. He turned his stare to the boy.

"Adam Starsen huh?" The boy nodded. "Not a typical Castithan name."

"Only half sir." Starsen smiled.

Nolan nodded. He took in the ragged appearance of their clothes and the boy's face that had small smudges of dirt that looked like they'd been attempted to be rubbed away. There was dirt caked under his nails and a slight crust of mud on his knuckles. They'd been outside for a while.

"Well thank you for helping my deputy today." He nodded with a stiff smile. "Our mayor is in a meeting but I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Have a seat." He shifted to his left as an offering for them to pass.

"We can't stay." Teddy grumbled.

Nolan continued to smile. "Have a seat." He repeated, his tone left no room for an argument.

Starsen tugged at the sleeve of his caretaker and offered a placating smile to Nolan. He walked over to the Castithan woman and stood a bit away from her. She smiled sweetly at him and nodded to the seat beside her, seemingly unbothered by his state of dress. He sat silently and Stahma continued her knitting project.

Teddy stood off to the side in a corner.

Nolan spoke softly to Tommy near the stairs, the Lawkeeper casting a glance every now and then at the two sitting quietly. Starsen seemed content to quietly sit and watch the Castithan woman. He didn't make any noises of discomfort, annoyance, or any signs of a normal teenager being bored. Whenever the woman spared him a look he smiled, which was returned.

Eventually the doors to the Mayor's office opened and the council members stepped out, the mayor the last of them, closing the doors behind her.

Nolan took a deep breath as Rafe and Datak lingered behind the other dispersing members. "Amanda," he nodded. "We wanted you to meet some newcomers to town."

"Newcomers?" Datak had been eyeing the boy sitting beside his wife with a look of restrained disgust. Nolan ignored him.

"This is Adam Starsen and his caretaker…Teddy." Nolan motioned between the two.

The boy stood with a smile. "Hello." Amanda eyed him with a smile. "Hi, welcome to Defiance…how exactly did you…come across us?" She took in his clothes and made a note that he couldn't know to many landmarks or maps, and then she refocused on his name.

"Adam Starsen?" She swallowed, he nodded with a smile. She hummed. "Well, nice to meet you." She extended a hand. He seemed surprised at the offer, he held up a hand and looked at it carefully before looking back to the mayor. "My hand is dirty." He observed.

Amanda smiled and took his hand shaking it gently. His head tilted to the side in question before making a face of pleased understanding, she felt his fingers tighten and return the gesture. They dropped each others hands and she turned her attention to the man in the corner who Rafe had been bluntly staring at.

"Teddy, was it?"

He grunted.

"Teddy." Starsen gave him a strange kind of glare.

"Yes, I am."

Amanda sent a quick glance at Nolan before turning back to him. "I see, well nice to meet you both, I'd still like to know how you got here."

"We found your deputy." Teddy explained. "He was injured and we helped him, he pointed us in this direction."

Rafe's natural frown deepened as he continued to watch the stranger. "Funny accent you go there…Teddy. Where you from?"

"Irrelevant." Teddy answered shortly.

"Says you, I like to know who comes in this town so we don't have people shooting up the place or trying to get into my mines."

Nolan cut in. "I'll worry about him shooting the place up."

Teddy stood silent for a long moment, head still down, he then held his hand out in front of him with the palm facing up. Starsen moved across the gap and took the offered hand and let his caretaker move him back into the corner behind him. "My only concern is getting him out of sight."

"You running from E-Rep or something?"

"…No."

Rafe pulled his gun. "Now I don't want to have to do anything like this in front of a kid…but I got a sneaking suspicion you're exactly what I think you are…and those aren't welcome here." He snapped.

Tommy looked between the miner and his boss, uncertain what had just happened. Nolan un-holstered his gun but kept it at the ground while Datak had taken his wife's arm and pulled her back. Amanda stood her ground and watched on. "What exactly do we think he is?" Tommy whispered.

"E.V.A." Rafe growled. "Your voice gives you away and if you aren't you better take that hood off and prove it."

* * *

**To get a clear idea on what Teddy looks like just look for the movie preview Prototype, there are a few differences in my own mind but the basic idea is on that. E.V.A was from a cross between the Borg and Kyle XY. Hope you enjoy where I'm going with this. To figure out what Teddy sounds like I pulled that idea from Teddy from A.I. **

**Vakitso-Survivor **


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Defiance but I do own my OCs. I'm still working on my WH13 fics and my SQ one-shots fanfictions, don't worry :) R&R**

**Enjoy**!

* * *

"E.V.A?" Tommy frowned.

Nolan turned his head but kept his eyes on the two in the corner. "They're like the Volge but different in a few ways. Mostly they're not as tall or heavily armored but they're a technically advanced race that's pretty damn well known for experimenting on how to create soldiers to spare their own. Their numbers aren't as big either but they have plenty of fire power…"

Tommy swallowed nervously. He'd never heard of these things, ever. When he'd seen Teddy without his hood he'd looked like nothing more than a droid, the thought of him being anywhere near as deadly as the Volge never crossed his mind but maybe that's because he was with a child.

"Is that what the boy is?" Datak stepped forward. "A Castithan experiment of your people?"

Teddy finally raised his head and pulled his hood back. The green that had been behind the lenses was now a deep red. "Move out of the way or I will remove you. Our only wish is to leave."

"But Teddy," Starsen spoke up.

"No…these people," He almost seemed to spit the word. "Cannot accept you like I know you were hoping." He wasn't blind to the way he'd watched his ward brighten at how Tommy spoke of this place but being here now was different…only twenty minutes in one building and someone was already pointing a gun at him.

"That's unfair, we don't want to start anything." Amanda cut in. "Rafe, put up the gun, we can handle this like adults."

When the man made no move to follow the direction Starsen peaked around Teddy's body. "Please? He won't hurt anybody, I swear."

* * *

After a small argument Datak and Rafe left the building, swearing under their breath, Stahma followed quietly, sparing a glance over her shoulder with a small smile before closing the doors after her.

Amanda sat behind her desk and watched as Starsen sat carefully on a chair and Teddy choosing to stand while Nolan dismissed Tommy with the request of finding his other deputy. She crossed her arms, choosing to take a guarded stance while she waited for answers.

"Who are you two and what are you doing here?" She repeated, having had it gone unanswered only served to annoy her.

"We told you are names." Teddy grunted.

Amanda glared at him. "Don't be a smartass, you're in my town, and you follow my rules, and answer my questions. Try again."

There was a beat. "I am an E.V.A. Starsen was…apart of a project."

"What project?" Amanda tilted her head to the side. When he stayed silent she sighed. "We can do this the easy way, which I'd prefer after the day I've had. I'd like to not go down the other road here." She waited.

"It was a genetic project." The mayor and Lawkeeper turned to him. When his caretaker tried to hush him he shook his head. "I want to stay here Teddy, at least for a while." His previously calm face slipped as he turned sad eyes up to face the droid. "I appreciate what you've done please don't think I don't…but Teddy I am _tired_." He breathed. "We haven't stayed in a place even close to this in…years now. I miss warm water and comfortable beds and food."

"I can't remember not taking a bath in freezing water or just sleeping without twigs in my back. You've kept me alive all this time and it's been great but can we just," he shrugged, at a loss for what to say. "Be normal for just a little bit? I would like to eat food you didn't have to catch and have clean clothes for a bit."

There was a long silence afterwards. One that was a bit uncomfortable for the man and woman in the room.

Teddy sighed. "I…was a guard. When things with the projects didn't go as planned they were going to do what they always had. Terminate the subject, but I disagreed with them and made it plain. I got him out and…here we are."

Amanda nodded. "What happened to make them want to kill these projects?"

"It was three of them…Starsen, however; was their top priority. The other two were somewhat flawed in development, at least to the hive."

"Hive?" Nolan frowned.

"The E.V.A search for technical advances and all useful knowledge in their own protection while they achieve it. The hive is the circle of the most esteemed soldiers and scientists…they make the final choices behind what the E.V.A eventually do."

"What exactly does E.V.A mean?" Amanda uncrossed her arms.

"Eutropic. Vatice. Armigerous." When neither human spoke he continued to explain. "It is their way of saying that seeking what they want allows them to take up arms against those in their way, that their way is the only path towards the way the universe should work."

"Does sound like the Volge." Amanda muttered under her breath. "I don't get why though."

Teddy shrugs. "It just turns out from their way of thinking. In their eyes the sun is what makes a solar system thrive and they want to achieve the same type of power in the galaxy through technology and science. If they send out to many of their own they won't see that realized."

"Which is how the experimenting on other races started." Nolan finished with a nod. "So he," nodding to Starsen. "Is one of the projects of the E.V.A." Starsen and Teddy nod. "Why is he so important and why terminate him if he is?"

There was another pause before the droid speaks again. Still unsure of how much is wise to share. "His DNA codes were taken from two races individuals that had what they deemed needed in a soldier…he was meant to be a strategist for battle, to cut down on losses when in combat."

Amanda watched Starsen as his situation was explained. The kid didn't seem like a soldier to her at all, but given what she knew about Castithans, a book could never be judged by the cover. "But why try killing someone that they created to help them?" It just wasn't…smart, for a race so focused on science to do.

Teddy remained silent. Starsen sighed. "I took it by accident." He made a face, almost like a pout, he seemed bothered with himself. "I didn't mean to." His gaze turned to the mayor and she thought he looked oddly familiar for a moment. "Took what?" She questioned gently. "Information. I accidently back-hacked them and downloaded their database."

The pause that came after his explanation was deafening. He smiled awkwardly before lowering his head. "I guess it was better than being one of their toys." He breathed.

Nolan smirked at that. "Any day kid." He stepped closer and patted the boy on the back. "How old are you exactly?"

"Fifteen. I was Eleven when Teddy got me out of the chamber."

Amanda took a breath and exhaled slowly. She stood and nodded to herself before looking at the two. "Okay, I think I've had about all I can stand for the night. How about we get you settled for the night and take it from there?"

"Okay." Starsen grinned, speaking before his caretaker even had a chance. It made Amanda laugh as she lead them out of the building with Nolan following after them.

* * *

As it turned out Teddy was far stricter than Amanda would have thought but then given what he comes from she can't find room to be surprised. He won't allow Starsen to stay in a spare room her sister has available. He called it immoral to place a child in a building of that sort.

In the end she allowed them to stay in her home's spare rooms after he'd turned down four other offers. Starsen seemed pleased with the idea, asking what it was like and what he'd be allowed to do there. She'd laughed. "Well I have a television for some movies, a radio, food, a bathroom. I think I still have some spare clothes that may fit you until we can go shopping at the market place for more."

"Great." He smiles but it falls when she chuckles. "Is that not the right word? Teddy's been teaching me."

"No it's right; it's just cute is all. I haven't been around many kids much." She grins when she realizes that even though Starsen is part Casti he is still human enough to blush at the compliment. She wonders if it bothers him that they're a bit dirty, well, really dirty. "For now let's get you a shower. Or a bath, whichever you prefer."

"What's a shower?" He pronounces the word slowly. She ruffles his hair fondly. "You'll see."

Nolan had complained that she was letting strangers who could be lying in her home, she proposed that if it was such a problem and he worried she couldn't take care of them herself he was free to stay the night just in case. Which was why he walked behind the three slowly. Teddy had put his hood back up and his hands in his pockets.

"Wow!" Starsen's eyes gleam as he sees the house they're headed towards. "You live there?" Amanda nodded; it was just a simple two-story house with a modest yard. But seeing his reaction reminds her that he hasn't seen many homes. "I've only been in places with trailers and tents, this looks much nicer."

"Well thank you." The mayor laughs as they climb the three steps to the front door. "The inside looks better than the outside." She unlocked the door and stepped inside, turning on the hallway light and stepping to the side. Her cheeks are almost starting to hurt with how much she's been smiling in his company.

"Wow…this is the biggest place I've ever seen." He turns in the entryway to the rest of the house. "Shoes off when entering a home." Teddy speaks in a way that sounded programmed from an old recording. The boy jumps in surprise at himself and quickly shuffles back to Amanda and slips off his beaten sneakers. She frowns at the sight of the dirty socks with several holes. A child in the Bad Lands was no way to live.

"I'll show you the bathroom, that way you don't have to feel bad, okay?" She gauges his reaction; he appears fine with it and nods. He follows while Nolan and Teddy stay behind. She watches as he takes in her ornaments on the walls and pictures of her and Kenya from their lives. He would twitch like he wanted to touch some but restrained himself. His state of dress did bother him.

He sets his bear on the toilet and undresses himself down to his shorts he'd been wearing under his pants. Amanda turns on the shower and tries not to laugh when he flinches back in surprise. "This is the shower?" He asks, watching the spray hit the tub bellow.

"Yep, it can be a bath too but showers are faster." She stood. "It's kinda hot but if you want it colder just say so okay?" He nods, removing his shorts while she looks away to grant him privacy until he's behind the curtain and pulls it shut. She hears him giggle. "I like this shower!" He called.

"Good." Amanda's attention turns to the bear, he'd clutched it like a lifeline the whole time. "Starsen?" She waits for him to answer before going on. "Where'd you get this bear?" She picks it up gently and runs a finger over a black-button-eye. "Teddy gave it to me as a gift. We had just come in a village and it was someone's name day. I asked him what it was and asked about my own. He said my name day was the day he woke me up and gave it to me."

"That's sweet." She breathes. The bear is clearly worn from months of living out in the wild with the two. Placing it back down she tells the boy she'll be back in a moment with some clothes for him. The clothes are old, from a long time ago; she remembers the boy's name and smiles as she holds the old red shirt with a lightning bolt in the center of a white ring. Shaking the memories she grabs an old pair of shorts and leaves to return to Starsen. She hadn't been able to bring herself to throw the clothes away.

"Here you go sweetie." Amanda set the clothes on the sink counter. She swallows as she notices her slip. He was just like a memory but in living color again and she couldn't help herself. She knows she should wait to form an attachment because they still don't know if they're staying.

"What is a sweetie?" Starsen feels his curiosity emerge. There were still many things about both of his cultural backgrounds he didn't know. Teddy only taught him those cultural differences on the spot as surviving for another day had taken his top priority.

"It's a term of affection."

Starsen peers around the deep purple curtain. "Affection, a gentle feeling of kindness or fondness." He recites. "You are fond of me after only meeting me earlier today?"

Amanda nods. "Yeah, you're a sweet kid and I like kids." Her chest tightens as she fights more memories.

"You have distrust in me because I'm Castithan." He spoke softly.

The blonde was stunned for a moment, not realizing he'd been observing her just as much as she had him. "It isn't because of that…okay maybe a little." She breathes in, pinching her lips between her teeth and breathing through her nose before trying again. "It's just that Castithans are well known for not liking humans much and being very hard to read but I know a few kind ones."

He stares at her for a hard moment of silence. It made her feel like an insect under inspection. "I have nothing to hide and nothing to deceive you for. Teddy says that what will set me apart from my Castithan roots is always doing my best to tell the truth. That's why he usually speaks more than I do…he finds I can be honest to often." He shrugs. "It sometimes doesn't help in surviving outside." He disappears behind the curtain again.

"It's good to tell the truth Starsen."

"Good, because it makes me uncomfortable to be dishonest."

She thinks for a moment. "Do you know where your DNA samples came from?"

"Teddy does, he says the E.V.A do thorough background searches on individuals they look into getting DNA samples from. To see who would be best equipped to certain duties for the hive."

"Has he told you who they are?"

"No, he said it was irrelevant to surviving. Why?"

"I was just curious about how you got your name." She worries her lip in thought.

"Teddy named me. He took Adam from another DNA human samples file and Starsen was a name he found unique, he told me it would help me define myself someday."

"Sounds like Teddy does one thing and says another." Amanda gave a dry chuckle, leaning against the sink.

"I think it's left over from when he was still doing human observation missions even though he doesn't remember much of it." The water stopped. "I need something to cover with."

The blonde takes a towel from under the sink and hands it to him over the top of the guard for privacy. "I can wash your clothes if you like." The curtain pulls back and Starsen steps from the shower with a bright smile and Amanda can't help but smile back because it's infectious. His hair is a bit paler now that it's clean but still noticeably blonde and his skin is almost blemish free. She frowns.

"You don't have a bellybutton." She can't help the way her eyebrows raise as she turns her eyes to his. He shakes his head. "I wasn't born like others are. There was no cord so," he waves at his stomach. "No bellybutton." He smiles shyly as he pulls the shirt over his head. Amanda looks away again for his privacy as he continues getting dressed. "What do I do with this?"

Starsen holds the damp towel with a curious frown, unsure of what to do with it. He'd always air-dried himself after washing in a stream or pond. He watched her point to a plain silver rod. "You hang it up to dry and the next time you want to use it you pick it up."

"And after I'm done it goes back again?" He slips the item over the bar and fidgets with it until he sees it's perfectly straight and then turns around to pull the curtain closed. Amanda hums in agreement. "Eventually you wash it but then you use it again." She explains; turning and exiting the bathroom to head for the main room.

"Humans are resourceful." She hears him speak in a slightly awestruck tone.

"We can be."

"Amanda?" He waits for her to glance at him before continuing. "Should I not mention my stomach to others? I understand it is unusual…I think it may lead the E.V.A here if it's spoken about." He worries his bottom lip as he runs scenario after scenario through his head. The woman purses her lips before nodding. "It's our little secret." She ruffles his hair and he shoots her another smile.

* * *

Nolan watched with an amused grin as Starsen fought to stay awake. He'd eaten several different sandwiches and meats before Amanda gave him some chocolate for a treat. She herself only found it ever so often. The boy had loved it, telling his caretaker they should have found out about sweets sooner.

Teddy sat quietly as his ward watched an old movie Amanda had managed to keep through the years. The boy eventually ended up dozing off on the couch, teddy bear clutched tight still.

"Kid's a trooper, gotta give him that." Nolan muses quietly to his boss who's sat beside him. "You two staying then?" He turns to the droid while sitting back on the couch with a blank face.

The green colored lenses turn to him…his attitude seemed disappointed, if Amanda was reading it right. It was a droid after all. How many emotions could he show? "I am conflicted, it is hard to keep living outside but it isn't safe to be in places like this. But…" he turned to Starsen and appeared to sigh. "This place makes him happy already and I have not seen that in a long time."

"Sometimes to be a good parent we gotta do what makes kids happy." Nolan nods.

"Maybe it's worth the risk. It seems wrong most times that I brought him with me just to have him live like an animal. It is…immoral of me."

Amanda is at a loss for what to say. "It's a good place to live. You can both be happy here." She feels like the pot calling the kettle black as she spoke…it was hard for her to be happy here sometimes but that didn't mean it wasn't a better place to live than others.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'm till learning the technologies and terms they use in Defiance, next chapter will be some Casti language tossed in and I'll have the meaning translated down here. Sorry for any mistakes, no betta. **

**Vakitso-Survivor **


	3. AN

Not an update, which if you read any of my other currently updated fics you'd already know that. My laptop has died recently and I've ordered a new battery. Here's praying that's the real and only issue with it because I have at least five chapters worth of this story written on it, and I love my laptop :( this is what I get for always leaving it on the charger, never do that btw if you didn't already know which I did so I dunno why the hell I did it. Anyways! If the battery is the only problem and I'm sure it is, expect an update in about a week. Sorry for the delay!

PS. Is anyone else excited to see the new season? I really hope Amanda and Stahma get more time together. Also kinda disappointed in Alak for basically turning into his father. I loved his character because he wasn't a typical Casti.


End file.
